Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1887-04-08

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Friday Korning................April s. 1887.
The Libellers Answered.
The National Civil Service Reform
League recently appointed committee OF
seven to collect information regarding the
operation of the civil service law. A
majority of this committee were republi-
cans and Mr.. Charles j. Bonaparte. of Bal
timore, was the member from Maryland.
In lis report the committee follow the ex-
ample of Mr.. j. K. Cowen and other libel
lers and says of Maryland that "in no
State of the Union, probably, are politics
more corrupt. The old threadbare rub
bish regarding the records of Higgins and
Thomas are rehashed over again, as show
log the character of the Federal appoint
ments from Maryland, and Senator Cor
man, as usual, receives strong censure for
being responsible for such appointments.
Mr.. Charles j. Bonaparte, the Maryland
member, is, of course, responsible for what
is said regarding this State, and the fact
that he is partisan republican, favoring
a strong centralized government as most
accepted to his imperial thoughts and in
terests, openly opposed to free public ed
ucation and other Democratic institutions,
and one of Mr.. Germans most implacable
enemies, is perhaps sufficient to give the
true animus and character of such extra
ordinary declarations when inspired by
him.
But Senator German, having been inter-
viewed by Sun reporter upon the matter,
talks truly and, in an extensive interview
published in that Journal, refu'es very con-
clusively the charges thus made and shows
with his accustomed equaminity and vigor
of thought the fslsity and insincerity Of
the positioz assumed by these 50 called
reformers. Mr.. German said:
81 have read the report, but at this time do
uoe Univ " Soy "uCH aOout ~. uay uctS-
after have occasion to allude to it at some
length I will, however. say that it is gene
raj assault upon the democratic party. aud
while occasionally praising President Cleve
land, is intended to discredit the party which
elected him, and, SO fer as they can, render it
impossible for the party to re-elect him. As
far ss am personally concerned | am highly
grsti6ed that they have decorated me With
their censure.' OF the men whose names are
attached ts the report. Messrs. Curtis, Schurz,
MacVeagh and Bonaparte, being majority Of
the committee, and the only c-es known to
me by reputation are intense republicans, and
are in favor of a strong centralized govern
ment as far removed from the people as il can
be made. All Of them are in favor of g per
manent tenure in the civil service. and there
fore virtually in favor of retaining republic
cans in office, notwithstandi the fact that
these oficeholders were in every instance ap-
pointed without reference to civil service ex-
aminations. On the othe- band | am opposed
to centraiizaiion. l am in iavor Of the gov
ernment by the people in the broadest sense.
think that coed government can only be Sc
cured through the people having the right and
the opportunity to change their public ser
wants, high aud low, at all times. within their
discretion. In other words, they advocate
the English and Chinese systems and the
American. They denounce several of my re-
commeuds tions Of persons for Office simply be-
cause knew it to be necessary in some psrtic-
ulars to select men who did not profess to be
saints to ferret out the rascals they appointed
and kept in place. Ny reforms have been:
To protect the public domain; to restrain the
rapacity Of the corporations. Theirs consist
in keeniaa 4 fex men in Office. Therefore the
is pronopnced. and ,the
D1KneS1 Of their capse 10 best shown by their
resort to abuse and vilIi6cation of the good
people Of Marylsnd, who IN intelligence, in
iegrity and just dealing have no superiors.
s'The country may be led to suppose. from
the persistence with which these so-called re-
formers retsrn again and again to their ab1s-
i've references to Mr.. Higgins and Mr.. Thomas.
that they are about the only federal appoint
ments that have been made from Aaryla
But the facts will dissipate any such supposi-
ton. A list Of the more prominent appoint
of these gentlemen of the Civil-Service Reform
League.
Mr.. German then gives an extended list
of the appointments from Maryland, en-
bracing the best and most highly respected
citizens Of every county of the State, in the
course of which he refers to Gen. A. 6. Chap
man and Messrs. Vivian Brent and Samuel
Cox from this county. He thus makes
patent the insinceri.y Of these alleged re-
formers in their incessant harping upon the
irregular lives of these two men in COM
paratively unimportaat positions, as Civ
ing character to all the appointments from
Marylands while not daring to assail the
character sfany of the scores Of men from
every section of the State, occupying far
more responsible positions, to whom by
name and residence he invites their at.
tention. Mr.. German also emphasizes the
fact that even with regard to Higgins and
Thomas no charge of ineficiency or neg
1ect OF duty in their present stations has
ever BEEN against them. He says in con-
cluslon, that notwithstanding all the bill
lingsgate that has been poured out so liber-
ally, that the appointments made from
Maryland will compare favorably with
those made from any other State of the
Union in intelligence, integrity and their
faithiulness to every public duty.
This rejoinder on the part of the Sena-
tor il timely and stong and will do much
good in averting evils that might have re-
sulted from the misguided efforts of these
possibly well meaning reformers.
Charles n. Owens, Isaiah Waters, John
Brandau, John B. Sanner and VIM. j.
Byrne, judges and clerks Of election at the
seventeenth precinct of the first ward of
Baltimore city, were, on Tuesday, found
guilty BY jury in the criminal court of
that city of conspiracy to defraud at the
municipal election held October ~, 1885.
It was shown during the trial, which last
I'd several days, that the votes of % per-